Page 154 of Hard Luck (Blackstone House)

“I was thinking of fireworks, but you’re right. Anyhow, I heard the Neptune has suffered some problems recently? That opens up the market.”

“The Neptune’s problem is Alexa,” I told him. “I’m not sure of the exact reasons, but someone there rubbed her the wrong way.”

Cole picked at his dessert for a moment, but he was just stalling for time. I hoped he took Brax’s offer. He wouldn’t get a better one.

“What role would I play in the future?”

“The transition would be relatively hands-on for both of us, but when everything is up and running, we can take a step back. And if things work out as we hope, I’d be willing to take a larger stake in the business if you want to realise your investment.”

“And what about the finances? The bank won’t lend any more.”

“I’d pay off the debts in return for an equity stake in the company and then provide a line of credit for the refurbishment.”

“You haven’t even asked how much the debts are.”

“I already know.”

“How—” Cole started, but then he sighed. “Your friend?”

“She has boundary issues,” I explained.

Brax’s turn to snort. “She went no-contact with me for years, then emailed me out of the blue to tell me that one of my staff had a gambling habit, and he was stealing from me to finance it. The amounts were reasonably small, and I have no idea how she even found out, but she was right.”

“Can I sleep on it?” Cole asked. “Is there a deadline for the offer?”

“Diversification is always at the back of my mind, but I’m not actively considering any other propositions at this point in time. So no, there isn’t any particular deadline, but if another acceptable deal falls into my lap, I won’t turn it down. Feel free to get in touch if you need any general advice in the meantime—Jerry has my number, and I’m only at the end of the phone.”

“I appreciate that.”

Cole finally ate a mouthful of cheesecake, and I squeezed his thigh under the table. It was a big decision, huge, and understandable that he’d want to think things through. He didn’t know Brax the way I did.

Brax’s phone rang—yes, he’d left it on the table—and he glanced at the screen. Raised an eyebrow. I could read too, even upside down. Nolan? Nolan de Luca? He was another of our old roommates from Blackstone House. Another person whose life had almost been ruined by false allegations.

“Braxton Vale.”

Why did Brax always answer the phone that way? Nolan already knew who he was.

“Can’t you just add the email account to another computer? … Do you have backups? … Okay, I’ll resend it. A delay doesn’t matter for most of the orders, but it’s Crystal’s birthday next week, so hers needs to arrive on time.” A pause. “No, I don’t think turning it on is a good idea. You should take it to a repair shop. … Good luck.”

Brax hung up and sighed. “Nolan hasn’t changed a bit. He’s still scatterbrained and technologically inept.”

“What happened?”

“It seems he’s been running his entire business off one laptop, and now the laptop is broken.”

“Broken how? Did he try turning it off and turning it on again?”

“He said a message popped up and told him to send someone Bitcoin if he wanted to see his data again.”

A ransomware attack? “So what did he do?”

“Panicked and held the power button down until the machine turned off. I’m not sure he even knows what Bitcoin is.”

“Turning it off was the right thing to do.” I’d learned that much from Echo. Disconnect from the internet and turn off the device. Data encryption was a process; it didn’t happen in one go, and shutting down could prevent further damage. “Does he have backups?”

“What do you think?”

I thought it was highly unlikely. Nolan de Luca ran a vineyard in California, an award-winning one, no less, but Brax was right—technology was not his forte. He was good with his hands, though. Blackstone House had been a renovation project when we all moved in, and Nolan had quickly proven his worth with his carpentry skills. He and Alexa had lived in the same house, but they were a greatexample of how different two people could be. Alexa had hacked the NSA. Nolan once spent two hours trying to send a document to print on a printer we didn’t even own anymore.

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